


The Ones Who Survived

by Long_Furby6



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Gore, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Sorry, Mutual Pining, Therapy, many much feels, sad boy hours, underrated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:22:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25197649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Long_Furby6/pseuds/Long_Furby6
Summary: What if Ponzu didn’t die and instead met up with Gon, Killua, and Kite?What if Pokkle stayed alive long enough to have a chance?
Relationships: Pokkle/Ponzu (Hunter X Hunter)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	1. Separation x And x Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah so I’m obsessed with these two and I’m also in the mood to punch canon in the face
> 
> I will add more tags as I go and I have no idea how many chapters there will be
> 
> Each chapter will have around 1000 to 2000 words if I’m not lazy

The woodland creatures scattered away as a young woman barrelled through the forest, panting heavily as if she had been running for hours or even days on end, when it was barely a few minutes.

Ponzu had a terrified expression and a sickening feeling deep down in her gut.

By now, Pokkle could already be dead or as good as dead.

Pokkle, the man she had turned to when feeling down. 

Pokkle, the man who had encouraged her to try the hunter exam once more, and who sought comfort from her when insecure about the way he achieved his license.

Pokkle, the man who was now in a chimera ant nest. With no escape route and poison flowing through his veins, flowering and blooming until the vines enveloped him completely, crushing him as if he was nothing more than a mere ant.

Though ants, should not be considered weak when the presumably fragile creatures are the ones who planted the seeds.

The thought of it mad anger boil in Ponzu. She wanted to lash out, to break something, to scream until he came back to her.

She never remembered being so hateful. She wasn’t a hateful person, cold and analytical, yes, but never hateful. This was new, and she wasn’t sure that her body could contain the bomb of rage that exploded inside of her. 

She wasn’t sure if she’d be able keep a calm mind, like she always told Pokkle to do.

He was her responsibility now. If he died, she was going to die too. Whether she makes it out or not.

Her throat burned as if scorched by flames only the sun could top, she continued pushing through the leaves and branches in her way.

One of her bees buzzed fearfully, something was up ahead. Something not friendly.

Ponzu immediately changed her course.

Her main priority was to find a hunter that can help her. She couldn’t do it alone, as much as she hated it, it was a simple fact. 

Blunt force wasn’t Ponzu’s forte, maybe she could find someone, or many someone’s, who had combat ability and a half.

Time seemed to pass quickly, as if everything was speeding passed her in a flurry of green and white.

The branches around her slashed her face, causing her to grunt in frustration. It wasn’t long before she reached the end of the woods, a large cliff face looming in front of her.

She had already ordered her bees to send a message to the nearest group of people, she wondered if they had reached someone.

Familiarization washed over her. This was it. On top of this cliff was the road NGL used to transport.

There must be people up there.

The problem was getting up. As mentioned, Ponzu wasn’t the best at physical things. Going around would require time, something she did not have at the moment.

Screaming would alert the ants in the area.

If she fell, then so be it.

She decided to wing it. If she wanted to save Pokkle, she had to take risks.

To her luck, the cliff face was jagged and there were many footholds and places she could rest if need be.

She slid her hand into the first hold, gripping the cold rock tightly while she searched for a ledge to put her foot on.

Groaning, she heaved her body upwards, which took her a tremendous amount of effort as she was never too fond of rock climbing, especially ones with no safety gear.

Ponzu knew she was throwing reason out the window. She was throwing everything out the window. She no longer cared if she fell, the adrenaline coursing through her veins needed an escape anyway.

Her heart pounded against her chest, yet she couldn’t feel tiredness in her legs at all. One of her hands slipped, some debris falling from the stone.

She quickly steadied herself and went for the next one, repeating until she finally reached her goal.

With a final heave, she threw herself over the edge and onto the road, collapsing onto the cold surface.

She had never loved the feeling of laying down so much. The relief washing over her had been stronger than the ache in her arms and the numbness in her legs.

Pushing her fragile body over its limit was not a smart idea, but Ponzu couldn’t think of anything smart at the moment. All she could think of was the terror on Pokkle’s face as the ant’s stinger pierced him, and the rage that ate away at her.

She ordered her bees to warn her of any travellers coming this way. She couldn’t move anymore, no matter how much she wanted to. The initial adrenaline rush was wearing off, leaving her with nothing but the pain racking her body.

Clutching one of her shaking hands to her chest, Ponzu dared to open her eyes and let the tears flow out of them.

How pathetic she must look, she thought, disgusted by her display of weakness.

In the hunter exam, she had killed a man with no remorse. Of course, it was indirect. How could she have known that he was allergic to bee stings? It wasn’ther fault.

The memory made her smile slightly. The exam is where she had met Pokkle, along with Gon and the rest.

She would survive and pass the next one.

Pokkle had to survive to see her earn her license.

A warning buzz from one of her bees made her jolt upright, ignoring the growing pain in her body and the pounding in her head.

Up ahead, she could see the silhouettes of horses coming around the cliff corner.

“Hey!” She stood and waved, screaming at them and signalling that she needed help.

The riders stopped, and she immediately recognized two of them as Gon and Killua.

They were strong hunters. It was going to be okay.

Ponzu let more tears of joy slide down her face whole she gave them a bright smile.

There was hope for Pokkle after all.


	2. Companionship x And x Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ponzu remembers a few things from the past year she spent hunting with Pokkle, and starts to talk with Gon and Killua. With some reluctance, they begin their journey to the chimera ant nest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really short but I spent a week or two away from this and wanted to get it over with.

“You’re...You’re telling me then...” Killua started, rubbing his chin in question. “That’s these ants kidnapped him?”

Ponzu nodded quickly, still too shaken up to properly form words.

“Pokkle? Is he a friend of yours?” The tall man Ponzu heard Killua call ‘Kite’ said, looking down at Gon.

“Yeah!” He said with excitement in his tone. “He took the hunter exam with us!”

Gon turned his eyes towards Ponzu, his smile growing slightly.

“We’ll save him! Don’t worry!”

Ponzu managed a small smile and a nod, a few tears making their way down her cheeks.

Back in the hunter exam, she had admired Gon’s positivity and sureness in himself. She had dealt with insecurity and fear her whole life, but he never seemed to have any of that.

Perhaps it was because Gon was a child. Certainly younger than Ponzu. Although, he was much stronger as well. She had accepted that a long while ago.

She could even say she admired him more than she admired Pokkle, but that would be stretching it. Pokkle had been one of the best things in her life for the last year, and she had only talked to Gon twice.

Killua scratched the back of his neck, closing his eyes apathetically.

“Well, he’s a nen user, right? He’ll be fine. We’re headed there anyway. Might as well pick him up.”

Ponzu sighed. “You’re underestimating them. Please, come on! We have to hurry!”

She turned, speed walking towards the destination. Gon, Killua, and Kite soon followed, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

Killua was right. Pokkle knew nen, he was strong, stronger than the average human, definitely stronger than Ponzu.

And the three she had met up with were clearly stronger than even him. So, he’d be fine. Of course he would be. They were always fine.

He couldn’t die yet. Or ever. Ponzu slightly wished the man would turn out immortal, so she wouldn’t see the pain of his death.

Death. She didn’t want to think about it. About the horrors her beloved partner could be experiencing right now.

Would he even be the same person if he emerged alive? Perhaps the trauma would eat away at him, like darkness enveloping the sun, or soldier ants devouring a carcass.

Pokkle always loved the light.

Ponzu didn’t want to see him shrouded in darkness.

She smiled at the memory. All the mornings Pokkle would wake up obnoxiously early, waking her up in the process. It was annoying at the time. It was still annoying. 

But she longed for the annoyance. She wanted to wake up to his irritating, scratchy, morning voice, to see the first rays of the sun poking through the window and illuminating his smiling face.

She wanted to see that small pout when it was dark and cloudy outside. When winter rolled around and he would refuse to leave his bed, and it was her turn to wake him up early, much to his dismay and her delight.

Always telling him it was a taste of his own medicine. And, it was. He had loved the light and sang for the sun, but she, had revelled in the darkness and danced under the moon, finding comfort in the stars while he found it in the clouds.

It makes it sound like they’ve known eachother forever, when in reality it had only been a year, give or take.

The memory turned to panic as quickly as it came. And once again, her throat burned and tears threatened to spill.

She had never remembered crying so much.

The three behind her were laughing, chatting away without a care in the world. Had they experienced this pain? Either way, Ponzu just wanted it to stop. She wanted to drown away all the sound, like snow dulling the echo of footsteps under yellow streetlights.

And yet she yearned for noise. For laughter, for happiness, and all of it with Pokkle.

If he didn’t survive, she was going to kill him.

In some ways, it was her fault. If she had only been a stronger nen user, if only she had jumped in to save him earlier.

How useless she must be, to let one of the things she cared for most be ripped away from her by a large stinger.

Her fist clenched unconsciously. 

She sent out a few bees to warn her of dangers ahead, and a few to try and get into the mound the ants called home. Maybe they could find Pokkle, maybe they could comfort him, tell him that help was on its way.

Hearing a loud laughter from Gon, Ponzu added to their conversation, much to his delight, proceeding to take her mind off of her lost partner.

“Ponzu, correct?” Kite asked, looking down at her.

He was freakishly tall. It unnerved a small woman like Ponzu.

“Yeah, are you Kite?”

Kite nodded, smiling warmly.

“You encountered these magical beasts. Can you tell me what they’re like?”

“Oh.”

To tell the truth, Ponzu didn’t want to talk about. She didn’t want to recall the horror of seeing Pokkle snatched away, that large stinger or that spider-like body.

Noticing her silence, Killua sighed in annoyance.

“C’mon, spill, it can’t be that hard”

Ponzu looked at him with a furrowed brow.

“Alright, alright, you try having a traumatic experience”

“I have plenty, thank you”

She side-eyed him with a confused glance, which only earned a shrug and a ‘what?’ From Killua.

So, they did have some shadowy pasts. Ponzu didn’t want to push, despite her curiosity, but she was glad she wasn’t alone. Surely, he’d understand her panic.

“So, what do you know?” Kite repeated.

Ponzu smiled, tears forgotten and replaced with vengeance.

She told them everything she saw.

Right down to every last detail.


End file.
